1. Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to a method and apparatus for easily and safely setting up a wireless ad-hoc network by extending a Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) protocol.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) has been suggested by the WiFi alliance as a standard for easily and safely installing a wireless home network. The purpose of WPS is to simplify a process of connecting a home device to a wireless network and to protect a home network from external attacks.
WPS architecture that supports an infrastructure mode network includes an access point (AP), a registrar, and an enrollee.
The registrar manages a credential of a WPS protocol and safely distributes the credential to stations that participate as enrollees in a network managed by the registrar. The WPS architecture includes an internal type WPS architecture and an external type WPS architecture, which are distinguished from each other depending on whether the registrar is implemented inside or outside the AP.
The credential is a data structure including a service set identifier (SSID), a channel, a key, etc., which are issued by the registrar to the enrollee. When the WPS protocol operates normally, the enrollee can participate in the network by using the credential issued by the registrar. The enrollee is a terminal that participates in a wireless network.
In the WPS architecture that supports the infrastructure mode network, all terminals play a predetermined role, i.e., serve as a registrar or an enrollee. Thus, in a push button configuration method that is a WPS architecture model, a terminal can recognize how to execute the WPS protocol. For example, a button of the AP including the registrar is a button for driving a registrar included in the AP, and buttons of other terminals are buttons for driving enrollees included in the terminals.
However, in an ad-hoc mode network, any terminal may be an AP. Thus, in the ad-hoc network, it cannot be recognized in advance whether a terminal serves as a registrar or an enrollee. Thus, a method of determining which terminal serves as a registrar is needed.